Monthly Archives: March 2017

A few different personal goals led me to enroll in the program: 1) to obtain an advanced degree to aid in progressing towards more senior roles in my career; 2) to accomplish point #1 in a cost effective way; and 3) to keep my technical skills sharp.

In spite of being a completely online program, the community aspect of the OMSCS is especially strong. I find that students are more engaged due to the availability and “always on” nature of the online class forum (called Piazza) than in my on-campus Computer Science classes during undergrad. With a large population of students across the globe participating in OMSCS, odds are that your question will be answered quickly by someone in some timezone at any given point in the day.

In addition, the course technology gives the OMSCS several advantages. For example, I can watch the Youtube-based lectures on my own schedule, versus a defined class time each week. Also, when a professor or TA holds office hours, it’s typically recorded and posted for all students to review. During my undergrad, if you had a conflict during the scheduled time for office hours, you were out of luck. Finally, for courses that involve closed-book tests (2 out of 4 of my courses thus far), advanced proctoring software allows you to take the test in the comfort of your own home. While this does involve the personal privacy sacrifices that come from being recorded via webcam and microphone, it does help to ensure the program remains high quality and worthy of Georgia Tech’s top ranking in the Computer Science field.

I’m currently in my second semester of the program and have taken two classes each during both semesters. With a full time job alongside the OMSCS, it’s a very demanding schedule. However, the program allows students to complete courses at their own pace, even one per semester, with a maximum of a one semester break in between.

All in all, it’s been a fun ride participating in what appears to be, by many accounts, the future of education.